"The small child of Bethlehem, the unknown man of Nazareth, the rejected preacher, the naked man on the cross, he asks for my full attention."
Henri Nouwen, "The Lord is Near"
And who will this be in our day today? The frustrated checker at the grocery store? The single mom coming into St. Vincent de Paul? The unruly child in the classroom? The frightened teenager going into Birthright? The lonely man in the nursing home? The crabby customer in line? Who will Jesus be in our world today? Maybe all of them. Jesus will be in our world today and he asks for our full attention! Love, heidi
Tuesday, November 29, 2011
Monday, November 28, 2011
For the present...
"Jesus said to his disciples, 'Be watchful! Be alert! You do not know when the time will come..."
Mark 13:33
Sometimes, we humans do better with deadlines. Do this by such-and-such date. I need this by Wednesday. You get the idea. But, for Jesus, in yesterday's Gospel, the deadline is now. Jesus urges us to be on the edge of our seats right now. Deadlines give us the opportunity to procrastinate and Jesus doesn't want us to do that. Jesus wants us in a constant state of readiness. I remember one of my Irish sisters used to always use the phrase, "For the present..." Meaning now. Now, is the time to take stock of our hearts and make ready for Emmanuel. Now, is the time to help our neighbors and those who have less than we have. Now, is the time to heal our hearts of grudges and past hurts. Now, is the time to forgive and open our hearts. Now. Today. For the present...get ready! Jesus is coming! Love, heidi
Mark 13:33
Sometimes, we humans do better with deadlines. Do this by such-and-such date. I need this by Wednesday. You get the idea. But, for Jesus, in yesterday's Gospel, the deadline is now. Jesus urges us to be on the edge of our seats right now. Deadlines give us the opportunity to procrastinate and Jesus doesn't want us to do that. Jesus wants us in a constant state of readiness. I remember one of my Irish sisters used to always use the phrase, "For the present..." Meaning now. Now, is the time to take stock of our hearts and make ready for Emmanuel. Now, is the time to help our neighbors and those who have less than we have. Now, is the time to heal our hearts of grudges and past hurts. Now, is the time to forgive and open our hearts. Now. Today. For the present...get ready! Jesus is coming! Love, heidi
Wednesday, November 23, 2011
Give thanks!
"In all circumstances give thanks, for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus."
1 Thessalonians 5:18
As we come upon Thanksgiving, we are to pause and give thanks. It is easy to be thankful for all the good things that come our way, but, as this scripture reminds us, we are to give thanks for all circumstances; the great and the not-so-great. How do we give thanks when the job we hoped for doesn't come through? How do we give thanks when the diagnosis isn't good? How do we give thanks for the bad news? We can give thanks because we know and believe in a God who joins us in the sorrow as well as the joy. We believe in a God who works from the inside, bolstering us up and giving us the strength to weather through the difficult times. We believe in a God who became a man, so that he could experience every human experience, cry human tears, dance with human joy. We believe in a God who is not far away from us, but who intimately knows every hair on our heads and every cell in our bodies; who, indeed, dwells within us. Yes, the difficult circumstances of our lives can give us an even better view of God and give us even more reason to praise and be grateful! This week, if there are difficulties you face, realize that we are called to be grateful in all circumstances and our God gives us good reason to be grateful! Blessings to you all yours this Thanksgiving...love, heidi
1 Thessalonians 5:18
As we come upon Thanksgiving, we are to pause and give thanks. It is easy to be thankful for all the good things that come our way, but, as this scripture reminds us, we are to give thanks for all circumstances; the great and the not-so-great. How do we give thanks when the job we hoped for doesn't come through? How do we give thanks when the diagnosis isn't good? How do we give thanks for the bad news? We can give thanks because we know and believe in a God who joins us in the sorrow as well as the joy. We believe in a God who works from the inside, bolstering us up and giving us the strength to weather through the difficult times. We believe in a God who became a man, so that he could experience every human experience, cry human tears, dance with human joy. We believe in a God who is not far away from us, but who intimately knows every hair on our heads and every cell in our bodies; who, indeed, dwells within us. Yes, the difficult circumstances of our lives can give us an even better view of God and give us even more reason to praise and be grateful! This week, if there are difficulties you face, realize that we are called to be grateful in all circumstances and our God gives us good reason to be grateful! Blessings to you all yours this Thanksgiving...love, heidi
Monday, November 21, 2011
To give til it hurts...
"I tell you truly, this poor widow put in more than all the rest; for those others have all made offerings from their surplus wealth, but she, from her poverty, has offered her whole livelihood."
Luke 21:3-4
It is scary to us to think about giving all we have. Like, the thought of St. Francis giving away the very tunic from his back, makes us shudder. The idea of the poor widow giving the last two coins she has brings us up short. How could we do that? We need to take care of ourselves and our families! We, living in the land of plenty, have a hard time letting go because we have never really had to live without. Those who have experienced profound want have more of a realistic view of what is really essential...and it isn't cable TV. Jesus asks us today to take a serious look at what we have and what we give. In this season of Thanksgiving, it is an especially good time to take stock. We have so much and the more we have, the more we are asked to share. We have a tendency to want those we share with to be deserving, too, and that may not always be apparent to us. We want to know that what we give makes a positive difference in the receiver's life, not just buying them a bottle of whatever vice they have. Today in this reading, we are being taught to simply give....to give from our want, give without knowing where it is going, and give without thinking of ourselves. It's a tall order! Love, heidi
Luke 21:3-4
It is scary to us to think about giving all we have. Like, the thought of St. Francis giving away the very tunic from his back, makes us shudder. The idea of the poor widow giving the last two coins she has brings us up short. How could we do that? We need to take care of ourselves and our families! We, living in the land of plenty, have a hard time letting go because we have never really had to live without. Those who have experienced profound want have more of a realistic view of what is really essential...and it isn't cable TV. Jesus asks us today to take a serious look at what we have and what we give. In this season of Thanksgiving, it is an especially good time to take stock. We have so much and the more we have, the more we are asked to share. We have a tendency to want those we share with to be deserving, too, and that may not always be apparent to us. We want to know that what we give makes a positive difference in the receiver's life, not just buying them a bottle of whatever vice they have. Today in this reading, we are being taught to simply give....to give from our want, give without knowing where it is going, and give without thinking of ourselves. It's a tall order! Love, heidi
Wednesday, November 16, 2011
Nourish our souls...
"The soul craves experiences that offer it the rich depths of God."
Sue Monk Kidd, "When the Heart Waits"
This jumped out at me this morning as I read her list of suggestions: "Silence, solitude, holy leisure, simplicity, prayer, journaling..." Absolutely what I have found on my journey! Sue Monk Kidd points out that we cannot starve our souls, anymore than we can starve our bodies, without dire consequences. Our souls need nourishment and we get that nourishment by stepping out of our lives and drawing closer to God. We are coming to such a busy and hectic season, and, in the midst of that, we must take the time to nourish our souls. As Advent approaches, let's think, and maybe even jot down, how we will draw closer to God and feed our souls. Can we rise earlier in the morning and spend some time in silence? Can we make an effort to get to Adoration on Thursdays? Can we journal each day through this time; maybe a gratitude journal? Whatever we do, we need to take the time to nourish our souls, especially as we embark on this holy, yet busy season! Love, heidi
Sue Monk Kidd, "When the Heart Waits"
This jumped out at me this morning as I read her list of suggestions: "Silence, solitude, holy leisure, simplicity, prayer, journaling..." Absolutely what I have found on my journey! Sue Monk Kidd points out that we cannot starve our souls, anymore than we can starve our bodies, without dire consequences. Our souls need nourishment and we get that nourishment by stepping out of our lives and drawing closer to God. We are coming to such a busy and hectic season, and, in the midst of that, we must take the time to nourish our souls. As Advent approaches, let's think, and maybe even jot down, how we will draw closer to God and feed our souls. Can we rise earlier in the morning and spend some time in silence? Can we make an effort to get to Adoration on Thursdays? Can we journal each day through this time; maybe a gratitude journal? Whatever we do, we need to take the time to nourish our souls, especially as we embark on this holy, yet busy season! Love, heidi
Monday, November 14, 2011
To know God is to live God's ways...
"We have to be so one with God that we do not continually need to ask for guidance."
Oswald Chambers, "My Utmost for His Highest"
This seemed odd at first, but the more I think about it the more it rings true. Remember that old TV game show "The Newlywed Game?" Couples were asked questions about how their spouses would respond and the better they knew their spouses, the better they did on the game. The more time we spend with God, studying God, learning God's ways, the better we know God. And the better we know God the easier it is to figure out what God wants of us. We don't have to continually ask what God would have us do because we already have a good idea of what that would be. The answer for us is to study God and be in constant relationship with God. God is intricately a part of us and our decision making...it is not such a quandary, "what to do, what to do?" Love, heidi
Oswald Chambers, "My Utmost for His Highest"
This seemed odd at first, but the more I think about it the more it rings true. Remember that old TV game show "The Newlywed Game?" Couples were asked questions about how their spouses would respond and the better they knew their spouses, the better they did on the game. The more time we spend with God, studying God, learning God's ways, the better we know God. And the better we know God the easier it is to figure out what God wants of us. We don't have to continually ask what God would have us do because we already have a good idea of what that would be. The answer for us is to study God and be in constant relationship with God. God is intricately a part of us and our decision making...it is not such a quandary, "what to do, what to do?" Love, heidi
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